When you consider that Christian Karembeu is one of only two current professional footballers to have been coached at club level by both Sven Goran Eriksson and Terry Venables, it seems an implausible coincidence that the other should be his team-mate, Alen Boksic.
Before they joined Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough in the summer, Karembeu had played under Eriksson at Sampdoria, while Boksic was part of the new England manager’s championship-winning team at Lazio last season. Little did either suspect, at the time they signed their contracts, that they would also be coached by a former England manager before Christmas.But, following another busy pre-season on the transfer market and a slow start to the campaign, the Boro wheels came off in spectacular fashion. A run of eight defeats in nine matches, culminating in the 1-0 loss at West Ham, proved to be the final straw for Steve Gibson. The club’s chairman had seen enough to persuade him that Robson’s time as manager was up. Venables was swiftly put in charge and he, in turn, made sure his new charges were quickly put in their place.”Mr Venables has brought his great tactical nous and experience,” says Karembeu, over a plate of pasta in a quiet Italian restaurant near Middlesbrough “He’s a pro and that’s why we have responded well In football, you need solid foundations to work from Once those are in place, the game becomes much simpler.

The problem is that when you lose match after match for weeks, you forget what it is you are good at. Towards the end of that terrible sequence of defeats, we had often lost the game before kick-off.”That’s why Mr Venables went round and spoke to every player, reminding us what our strengths were. He took us all aside, one by one, to spell out what he expected. The name Venables is important but, more than anything else, it is his methods which will keep us in the Premiership.”As a player who has been coached by some of the most respected figures in the game – including Claude Suaudeau in Nantes, Eriksson in Genoa, Jupp Heynckes and John Toshack in Madrid, not to mention Gérard Houllier, Aimé Jacquet and Roger Lemerre with France – Karembeu’s opinion matters. England and Middlesbrough fans will be relieved to hear that he rates Eriksson and Venables as two of the best.”Eriksson was a particularly special manager in my career because he was the one who gave me my big break abroad,” says Karembeu, who was signed by the Swede in 1995. “He brought me to Sampdoria and moulded me into the more complete and thoughtful player that I am now.

He has this ability to transform a person.”Karembeu senses a parallel with Venables. “They both have a very similar approach to management,” he explains. “They are brilliant communicators, people who can instantly get the best out of their players. One of the main reasons for their success is the fact they are so serene.

Both men know what they can bring and, as a result, what they need from the team.”When you have achieved certain goals, respect is something which you command naturally Mr Eriksson and Mr Venables don’t rant and rave. They are supremely confident and prefer to encourage their players to express themselves. Perhaps that constant positiveness is the one characteristic which best describes them both.”Karembeu recalls how, within hours of Venables’ arrival, the bad old days of the over-paid and under-performing performers were over at Middlesbrough. “We felt an instant wind of change,” says Karembeu, who, interestingly, calls Robson Bryan and El Tel Mr Venables.”I knew and respected Bryan the player.

He was a legend in England and someone who had done a lot for Boro. But perhaps the time had come for him to refresh his coaching skills His biggest fault was that he trusted the players too much. He thought they would show the same level of commitment that he used to, but without ever being told.”He adds: “Bryan, though, is a real gentleman. I think his decision to bring in Mr Venables was very brave and I hope he will learn a lot and then return as manager. I don’t see any reason why he couldn’t resume his duties after the summer and take the club forward.”If Venables has undoubtedly had a major impact since his arrival in early December, the senior players such as Karembeu have also rediscovered their focus.